📜 EwA Week Highlights: Wrens and Winter Ants

[Mike McGlathery]

EwA Highlights December 21, 2024 Hello everyone!  Happy winter solstice! Thanks for reading the December 21st EwA highlights.  📸 Even with the depths of winter approaching, you can find stirrings of invertebrate life. The American winter ant (Prenolepis imparis) is a peculiar species we’ve discussed before in the highlights. American winter ant colonies come out of dormancy this time of year, foraging in near-freezing temperatures. They are most active throughout winter (when the weather is  warm enough, just above freezing) and early spring. As the weather warms up, these colonies retreat to their deep  subterranean nests, up to 3.6 m (12 ft) underground.  EwA iNaturalist Record (© kdemary · Somervile, MA · Dec. 17, 2024)  One animal that relies on arthropod activity in the winter is the Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus). This bird is a year-round resident here in Massachusetts, and during most of the year it feeds on arthropods. In the winter, it continues to feed on certain arthropods it can still find, and supplements its diet with the likes of berries and seeds when its normal diet isn’t available. EwA iNaturalist Record (© jennifer_clifford · Somerville, MA · Dec. 17, 2024)  EwA’s most observed species this week was American amber jelly fungus (Exidia crenata). This species is frequently observed throughout the winter, although it is present year round. It might become particularly noticeable after some precipitation when the mushrooms rehydrate. EwA iNaturalist Record (© Bill MacIndewar · Medford, MA · Dec. 19, 2024)  📊 Thanks to everyone for your great biodiversity records this week, totaling 230 observations of 127 distinct species. If you’re curious about the records from this week that have been validated by the iNat community so far, you can find them » here. 🏆 Running tally: To date, we have recorded 221,718 observations of 12,106 distinct species! Check out our EwA umbrella project, see the details per site/observer, and more » here. 📅 EwA Upcoming Public Events Ewa Field Events » Check the EwA Winter [ Event details and registration » ] Don’t miss some great opportunities to follow the rhythm of the season in our local habitats and in the local wildlife! Space is limited for all our field events. Wildlife ethics is important to us and we seek to avoid putting the pressure on natural habitats which large gatherings unavoidably do. We are asking our audience to register-and-commit (or cancel when you know you can’t come) to avoid no-shows. EwA Fieldwork (and Resources) It’s a great time to join our monitoring programs. Check EwA’s Volunteer Program Calendar 📅  to know when things happen. And if a session is of interest to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to get the rendezvous location. 📅 EwA Sites Map | 🌱 Site Protocols and Guides · Field Rosters · Field Notes » All here! | ℹ️ More about EwA’s Citizen Science Program » Here ❓ Do you have any questions? Don’t be shy. Just email me or reply to this thread.  That’s all for this week—hope you have a good one! -Mike